HHLA will add nine new straddle carriers. PHOTO:Sven Glage

Kalmar has secured an order for nine diesel-electric straddle carriers from the leading European port and transport logistics group Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA).

The order was booked in Cargotec's 2016 first quarter order intake, with delivery to takeplace during the fourth quarter of 2016.

Established in 1968, HHLA Container Terminal Burchardkai (CTB) is the largest and oldest facility for container handling in the Port of Hamburg. The terminal has an annual capacity of more than 3 million TEUs.

The order continues a long tradition of innovation and collaboration with Kalmar. CTB was the first terminal to introduce the straddle carrier concept as well as a unique automatic stacking crane (ASC) concept featuring three cranes per block. The new units will be used to transport containers from ship-to-shore cranes to the ASCs.

Jens Hansen, managing director of Container Terminal Burchardkai, says the new straddle carriers support the company's goals to cut both operating costs and exhaust emissions at the terminal. "Importantly, with their quiet operation, they also set a new benchmark in terms of noise emissions, which will help us further reduce our impact on the surrounding environment and comply with stricter new regulations.

"We have relied on Kalmar straddle carriers to support our operations for many years, and we particularly appreciate the long-term reliability of the equipment as well as the local support services that help keep our daily operations running smoothly."

HHLA is a German logistics and transportation company. It operates three container terminals at the Port of Hamburg: Altenwerder, Burchardkai and Tollerort, as well as cargo handling and transport services by rail, road and sea.

Founded as Hamburger Freihafen-Lagerhaus-Gesellschaft in 1885, the company was partly privatised by the state of Hamburg in an initial public offering on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange in November 2007.